He did WHAT!!!

[threeunder]

Okay. My buddy, Mike, and I were finishing out our last hour of hunting today (noon for Virginia). Had something happen that neither of us had ever seen or even heard of before.
We're set up on the edge of a small field. After no response to sporadic yelps, I let loose with a cuttin' routine.
Less than 10 seconds later, we hear a bird fly up into a tree. Now this is at something like 11:10 am. We're bothing sitting there trading dumbfounded glances at each other.
At that point, I can see the turkey. Its a gobbler, about 75 yards out up in a tree. We can also hear other turkeys walking around near that tree.
So, as I'm sitting there, I watch the gobbler limb-hop toward the field edge. He's checking the field out from the tree! He stays in the tree 3-5 minutes. Mike, who has already tagged out for the day, does a couple of soft clucks and purrs. And the gobbler leaves the tree back to the ground. We don't hear or see him any more.
We don't hear anything for 15 minutes. Its now 11:40 or so.
I make a series of yelps with a different call and I get an immediate response from a hen from the same area we figured they worked their way toward.
Two hens, then, start talking a lot and getting a little aggressive. Mike and I do the same thing. They are closing the distance quick!
Then Mike whispers, "there he is! to the right of that lone pine."
Well, my view of the right side of the pine was blocked by brush, so I never saw him. Mike said he was strutting. The hens finally turned and they worked their way back down the ridge at about 11:55.
Both of us just sort of sat there like, "What the (blank) just happened?"
I've never seen a bird fly up into a tree to check out a field.
Have any of you all?
We've named the bird "Einstein."
Hopefully, we can clear all this up by the end of the season...LOL
Ken

[owlbait]

Well, I think turkey intellignce is all relative. That's my theory!   :D  Don't let the pea brain outsmart ya!  

[joebuck]

my 3 cents
cuts  and putts are very close in sound frequency.    Your cutting routine might have had a couple of higher note putts or so in your razzle dazzle  cutting sequence ,just to alarm the gobbler who took flight to a tree for safety.  this can be done very easy in any form of calling. Especially mouth calls or friction. When coast was clear so he thought, he jumped down.  So in short, gobbler got spooked, calmed down , then flew down

[Mudd]

I've not seen that but I have seen coon climb up a tree searching for the hen.

I guess they are wanting to find her and then her nest.

God bless,Mudd

[doug77]

I seen hens fly up into trees around mid-morning

doug77

[old_goat2]

Last year I saw a Tom spinning in a circle like a ballerina for several seconds, didn't know birds could be light in the loafers either.

[turkey522]

Had it happen to me once.

[KSdan]

Yup- seen it.

[KSdan]

oops- double

[JamesKerr]

I,ve never heard of a turkey doing this.

[Gen273]

I have seen them fly up and watch at mid day after they have been bumped or shot at.

[Looper]

Yep, me, too. I've seen them take to the trees to avoid coyotes and bobcats in the middle of the day, as well.

[olddogrib]

Bowhunters do not have a monopoly on treestands.  Turnabout us fair play.

[maineac]

I have not seen it with turkeys, but I have watched a grouse working its way through some thick cover.  Every so often it would pop up into a small sapling and look around for a few seconds to a minute, then hop down and continue on its way.

[katman]

Yep, seen them fly up to check out the situation. Unfortunately for him he thought all was ok and came by.